Texas schools get ready for temporary students

[Judi Lynn]

Sept. 1, 2005, 1:48AM

Texas schools get ready for temporary students
By JENNIFER RADCLIFFE
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Educators statewide started scrambling Wednesday to find classroom space, supplies and teachers for the roughly 10,000 evacuee students who are expected to enroll in Texas schools during the weeks and months that it takes to rebuild New Orleans and other communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Houston-area schools could see the largest influx of refugee students. About 5,000 school-age children are expected to move into the Astrodome today, and thousands of other Louisiana youngsters are already settling in at Houston hotels, shelters and homes.

"We've been working since 6 a.m. to take care of these children," said Richard Griffin, a consultant with the Harris County Department of Education. "You wouldn't believe what we've had to account for. It's unfathomable."

Classrooms likely will be set up inside the Astrodome for younger children. Nearby vacant campuses will be opened for older students, Griffin said.
(snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3334071
(Free registration required)

[WestHoustonDem]

1. My daughter's high school has already registered

several new students from Louisiana and expect many more.

[rainbow4321]

2. They will be "in school" but TX schools (funding) suck right now

I am ***NOT*** saying TX should not help the kids...they need to get some sort of life back in place. However, anyone who has been following TX politics know that students are not exactly a high priority these days, thanks to our TX lawmakers.

Our school funding leaves much to be desired. Brand new books are sitting in warehouses instead of classrooms b/c TX lawmakers are screwing w/ the school funding There are not enough books for the current students, never mind an influx of several thousand more. Teachers have had to change their classroom lesson plans because they had written out plans using the new books that were *supposed* to be delivered. Those books never came so they had to scrap their "new" book plans and go back to using the books that are 12+ yrs old. Some kids have to use photocopies of book material instead of getting books.

So when there are headlines that make it look like the kids have reached a safe haven in TX schools, they are misleading...not that anyone in the media will have the balls to ask Perry about it.
----------------

http://news8austin.com/content/legislature_2005/stories/?ArID=142898&SecID=480

Texas' textbooks packed up with nowhere to go

By the end of this month, all 1,034 Texas school districts will be back in business, but thousands of students may have to rely on photocopies instead of textbooks.

In 2004, lawmakers agreed to renew health, fine arts, foreign language and physical education books.

But because of this year’s school finance fiasco, lawmakers haven't set aside the money to buy those books. So Texas students’ textbooks are sitting in warehouses, already ordered and ready to be shipped, with no way to foot the bill.

The only other way to fund the books is if the Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, House Speaker Tom Craddick and the Legislative Budget Board decide to allocate emergency funding. That process is called budget execution, but state laws prohibit the use of it while the legislature is still in session.

[Bridget Burke]

6. I saw Perry making the announcement.

But he didn't say anything about extra funds to help Texas schools deal with the refugee kids.

Of course, we need to help. But he & his scumbag pals continue to cripple education in Texas.

[Ravenseye]

3. They should help disperse these people

How many refugees are there from New Orleans in total? Over a million? Where are they all going to go? Won't that be a tremendous strain if most go to the cities like Houston which are closest? Wouldn't it be less of a strain on the Texas system if these peopel were helped to many other cities across the country and we all could help?

[marshall]

4. Texas helping out

Texas is already dispersing the refugees. I am from a small town in northeast Texas near the Oklahoma border and we got at least 50 refugees yesterday. The local churches are gathering clothing and food, businesses are pooling money to pay for motel rooms at reduced rates, and area restaurants are taking turns bringing in catered food. In the next county over where my mother lives the National Guard armory is being turned into a dormitory and similar steps are being taken there by area churches. I am proud that Texas and Texans are stepping up to the plate in this time of need.

[Bridget Burke]

5. That's what they are doing.

For now, our Dome is better than their Dome as a staging area. Lights, water, food--easily refreshed from the region. They are setting up cots, as well. And there will probably be social workers, etc., to begin gathering info & making plans. The Texas Medical Center is nearby & even the non "special needs" refugees probably need some help.

Houston is the closest big city & we are also on the Gulf Coast shooting gallery. (Although our floods run off pretty quickly--we're on the flat coastal plain, not in a bowl.) We might need help next time.

[AValdoux]

7. Perry is doing this...

...for the publicity, (Larry King Live) & also he thinks he will make out like a bandit on the federal funds that will surely be send his way.


AValdoux

[marshall]

9. Perry's reasons

Hopefully Perry's reasons won't cause anybody to turn down or refuse to cooperate with and give assistance.

[Ishoutandscream2]

8. Just got the email at my school (I'm a high school counselor)

Getting us prepped for enrollments. I'm at a school in north Texas, so we probably won't get as many, but I'm sure we'll get a few.